A collection of Tom's articles and other news from Tom's Fitness and Martial Arts in Paris, IL.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

BIGGEST LOSER 3--WEEK SEVEN

Week seven left another group of people who dropped out for one reason or another. Most of them simply just stopped coming and I never heard from them. I think they’re embarrassed and just want to avoid an awkward moment.

But it isn’t me that makes it awkward. I mean, I’m not accusing or confrontational. Actually, I just smile and ask how things are going—normal behavior. But in reality, I’m like a mirror.

When they see me, they’re forced to remember that they quit. At least in that moment, they have to face it. And most people feel bad about that.

I’ve even had people move to the other side of the street, go down the next aisle, or just pretend they don’t see me. It’s a little comical, but it’s also quite sad. I was never against them, and only wish them well.

Once in awhile, folks will go to the other extreme, and when they see me, they’ll start complaining about one thing or another. The best one I’ve heard is that “I’m not sensitive to women’s needs.”

That might be true to some extent, but you’d have to talk to my wife to get the real scoop on that one, and we have had plenty of women do really well. In the end, I think it’s another good example of how we fall victim to self-deception.

It’s in our nature to make excuses. It’s been happening since the very beginning when Adam tried to cover things up. “It was Eve over there who made me eat that apple. I didn’t want to do it…” And they both covered themselves when they felt naked and ashamed.

I’ve done it myself at times. It’s tough facing the truth. And the truth is that sometimes we don’t want to do what it takes to fix things. We’d rather cover things up. We’d rather drape a sheet over that gigantic elephant in the room instead of trying to make it leave.

This program is difficult. It’s tough working out twice a day. But if you want to make the biggest changes in the shortest period of time, that’s what you do.

But it’s O.K. to take it slower. You can still lose a half a pound or even a pound a week. That’s fine by any standards, and certainly fine by me.

The problem is that people want it quicker than that. But it’s tough stuff making it happen that way. Like my long-time martial arts master always tells me, “people want to be champions but they don’t want to train like a champion.”

Myself, I never really cared about being a champion. I never thought I could be one anyway, but figured that I could at least train like a champion. So, that makes me feel like a champion anyway, and that’s always been good enough for me.

Another good friend of mine calls it BS 101. How you talk to yourself and others. Perhaps that’s what I do. I’ve learned that how you talk to yourself has a lot to do with how successful you’ll be—especially with new challenges.

When it doesn’t go your way next time, you might try this. “It’s alright if I fail this time, because I’m going to keep trying. One of these times, I’m going to get it.”

Or, “I didn’t make it this time. I dropped the ball. That’s O.K., because I’m not giving up. I just have to try harder.”

You’ve got to take your head out of the sand or you’ll never even see it coming. If you’re feeling a mass inside your abdomen, ignoring it won’t make it go away. You need to get it checked out by an expert.

Likewise, if you tend to quit things—never finishing what you started, ignoring it won’t get you anywhere. Instead, it will keep you exactly where you are, and that’s no good either, right?

Find someone who won’t let you quit. Or learn how to talk yourself into starting again. Get back on the wagon. Get back with the program. Or try something different—but keep trying.

Don’t worry about being embarrassed. Remember, we’ve all been quitters at something. We’ll understand. Heck, we’ll just be happy to see you again.

This week’s winner was Jane Graham, who lost -2.85% of her body weight and -4.4 lbs. Another good week for her, and she won a $25 gift Casey’s gift certificate from Dimond Brothers Insurance.

She was followed by Tony Haupt in 2nd Place who lost -2.04% of his body weight and 5.0 lbs. Tony picked up the pace this week by adding some running to his cardio work. Great job guys. Next week, we’ll give you the 2nd month totals—I think you’ll be pretty impressed. See you then.